1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a swinging head swage tool and a method of assembly thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Swaged fittings are known for connecting ends of tubes together to form fluid-tight connections between tubes. A swage tool is used to swage fittings to a tube. During a swaging operation, the fitting is compressed radially inwardly by the swaging tool. This causes annular ridges on the outer surface of the fitting to be flattened and transferred to its inner surface. As a result, annular indentations are formed in the tube, and thereby attach it securely to the fitting. In a prior art swage tool, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,058, head 60 of swaging tool 10 is slideably attached and removed from cylinder 53 by a tongue and groove configuration on the head and cylinder, respectively. However, over time the vibration between the head and the cylinder during swaging will wear down the swage tool, reduce performance and require replacement, especially at the location where the tongues fit within the grooves to connect the head to the cylinder. In particular, because of the slight clearance between the mating surfaces of the tongues and grooves that allow relative sliding movement for assembly, those surfaces will become roughened over time. Consequently, there is also a tendency for the lower die to rotate and wobble during swaging operations. Die rotation or wobble can damage the swaging tool and result in a defectively swaged fitting. Thus, conventional swage tools can become unreliable.
The prior art suffers from the problem that repeated use of the swaging tool causes the tool to wear, especially at a location where the tongues fit the groove. Over time, the surfaces will become roughened to the point where either one or both of the head and the cylinder portions need to be replaced entirely. Assembling and setting a workpiece in the swage tool is also cumbersome.